


Of Poison And Petals

by Nymfen



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, I don't even know why I spent two hours furiously typing this out, Royalty, this will never be finished I am writing a masters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:47:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nymfen/pseuds/Nymfen
Summary: I deserved to be here, surrounded by the smell of lilies and sweetgrass, I reminded myself. I had worked hard in the kitchen petitioning Kaeron since I was fifteen, doing chores in the garden after my own kitchen chores and falling asleep sore with dirt under my fingernails. I deserved to be here.I felt a beat of sweat trickle down my spine as I was forced to look up, his fingers firm under my chin. “The little mouse, yet again in my mother’s gardens.” His face unrecognisable from this morning’s welcome at the gate, now twisted into a sneer, his smile a mockery of charm. Sometimes I think I am the only one who sees him like this. I hate him, almost as much as he hates me.
Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Thestle/Prince Calzier
Kudos: 4





	Of Poison And Petals

The royal lilies shone brightly in the moonlight as I wandered between them, bucket of charcoal and bone meal in hand. It was past midnight and most of the staff, not to mention the household, had retired already. I couldn’t sleep, and I was supposed to be up before dawn to spread the charcoal in the moon garden regardless.  
It was a blue moon meaning there were rituals that had to be done before dawn and Kearon had long since told me I was ready to do it on my own, so better to ask for forgiveness than permission. I walked with slow steps spreading the grey mass onto the roots of the lilies. They were planted in a crescent moon shape at the edge of the estate, a small cluster of benches and a stone table stood in the centre. 

This is where the Queen had enjoyed her late night glass of wine, staring onto the lilies which she had planted, she had planted the entire garden. Kearon had tended the flowers at her instructions, but nothing here had been planted without her hands in the earth. She had died six years ago from a heart failure, complications after a influenza that had left her and her youngest son weakened. I only saw her once when I was still a kitchen girl, running between the buildings to fetch water, I couldn’t have been more than thirteen and it was the summer before the influenza came. She was beautiful, standing outside of her small garden shed washing her hands under the water faucet that was newly installed there, her black hair loose and framing her round form. She looked up suddenly as one of her sons came barreling down the garden and looked almost in my direction with her dark doe like eyes and then her face lit up.  
I sometimes lingered in my errands that summer, just to see if I could catch a glimpse of her again, but I never did, and the next summer I saw only her casket surrounded by flowers being carried by her four eldest sons. Their faces all closed and stricken. 

The night was warm, clammy and heady, and the sweet fragrance of the lilies covered this garden like a blanket. I could feel a layer of sweat forming down my neck and on my face. It only took a few minutes but in the deep summer the air had gravity all onto itself at night and I found myself sat down at the bench looking at the lilies and the moon above them. Suddenly my body was alert before my mind had caught up to it, there was a noise from the path, worried that Kearon had decided to do the moon ritual and found the bucket missing I decided it was in my best interest to not be found. He could yell at me in the morning, but hopefully he would have already seen that I did a good job with it and decided it wasn’t worth grumbling over. Not that he ever missed a chance to grumble. 

I quickly and silently moved from the gravel onto the grass, my hemp and leather slippers making no noise as I made my way behind the bushes at the edge of the crescent leading out west towards the servant quarters and green houses, just in time for a shape to come into the clearing. It was not Kearon, that much was clear, too spry even in the slow and steady steps, too tall and slim, and with the moonshine bright and steady I saw the pale face of the second son of the kingdom, Prince Calzier who was supposed to be out of town, walk with steady steps to the edge of the lilies and crouch down. 

His hair was black like his mother’s had been, but in the sunshine you could see streaks of auburn, some said it was due to his studies with fire arcana, I tended to think it was just a mixture with the kings auburn colouration before he turned white haired and old. There was no question that he had the king's green eyes though, but while I had never seen the king without a smile in his eyes, Prince Calzier's eyes tended to be half lidded and filled with rage whenever he looked at me. The other princelings ignored me all together, Prince Calzier seemed to always know when I was in the gardens, and whenever he was home from the Mage’s Tower University sooner or later I’d be at the receiving end of that hateful stare.  
My heart was racing, desperate not to get caught with him in the gardens I edged slowly backwards, the slight whisper of the grass as it folded seemed as loud as broken glass to my ears. But step by step, second by second I edged until I was sure there was no way he would hear me, then I turned. And ran. 

“Thestle.” The heavy knock on the door was one I knew well, as I’ve heard it most mornings the last four years, barely awake I rolled out of bed and wrapped the yellow linen robe around me and unlocked the door.  
“Morning Kearon.” I struggled to focus my eyes to his for only a second. Kearon with his strong build, black beard and whitening hair, the head gardener in his late fifties and my mentor and boss, whose orders I had disregarded last night I realised in a sudden jolt of adrenaline and I straightened. 

“Get ready, we're meeting at the gate in less than an hour for the prince's arrival.” his gruff voice said and turned to leave, I blinked and then exhaled in relief. “And Thestle?” He half turned. “Good job on the moon garden, but next time I expect the bucket to be rinsed off and put back in the shed.” I nodded frantically and then closed the door on his retreating form. 

The bucket. I hadn’t wanted to make noise so I had tucked it under the staircase to my small apartment and had every intention to wake up early enough to rinse it off before Kearon woke, but the exhaustion and wakefulness that had plagued me these last days caught up to me and now. I looked outside and gave a startled gasp, now it was almost noon and I was to be seen by the royal family in less than an hour. I was an efficient whirlwind for the next ten minutes, plaiting my dirty blonde hair and putting on the gardeners uniform, promising myself I’d thank Lottie for pressing both of our aprons yesterday while I was finishing up my chores. 

The uniform itself was a pale yellow linen shirt and skirt with a brown apron, Kaeron had linen trousers and more often than not so did I when I was actually working, but today was not about work. Prince Calzier was due home from his studies and we were expected to stand with the rest of the servants, even the kitchen staff got to stand in the back and for many of the younger ones this would be the first and perhaps only time they got to see the royal family up close.  
I had been introduced when Kaeron took me on as an apprentice and unfortunately for me the princes enjoyed spending time in the gardens and Prince Calzier had taken time out of his day to torment me these last four years. 

There was a reason I didn’t want to get caught by him in the moon garden, while the prince was charming and placid when surrounded by people, he was a sneering terror when I crossed paths with him alone. Lottie said she has never seen him anything other than charming, a bit arrogant as his title allows him to be, but pleasant to serve. I never met that prince. A surge of distaste and fear rose in my chest and I stood with my eyes closed and exhaled into the air. No matter, it was simply standing still and watching him enter the castle, smile and wave to the royal family and then return to an afternoon off from duties. Officially anyway, I had intended to rinse out the ponds and mix up the feeder for the roses. 

“Thestle!” Lottie's voice shouted through the door just seconds before she tore it open. “Good graces, are you ill?” her hands flew to my forehead and every tension drained and I took the opportunity to rest my forehead on her shoulder in a hug. “No, no I’m fine, I just slept so long, you know how I get sometimes.” I said with a smile and looked up at my friend, Lottie was taller than even Kaeron but sweeter than the doves that nest in the clock tower, her freckled face lost it’s worried look and melted into a fond smile down at me and she ran her hand through her short shorn red hair. 

“Well, good. I suppose, I envy your ability to sleep in without Margat throwing cold water onto you.” We shuddered in unison, having both had our fair share of buckets over our heads in the years we’ve been at the estate. Most of the children taken in to work at the castle came from the orphanages and Lottie and I had grown up together, more sisters than friends and while we were now adults who were no longer attached to the orphanage at all, Margat had never stopped treating us as unruly children. Although with some fondness. Some. Miniscule amounts. 

“I brought you this, eat it while we walk.” Lottie thrust a small breadroll stuffed with cheese into my hand and reached into her satchel for a small bottle of milk. "You’re a miracle.” I moaned around the buttery bread. “You’re a nuisance.” She smirked down at me, “let’s go, we have five minutes.” The walk from the west side of the castle to the south was straightforward, there was a path of trees between the servant quarters and the castle entrance so that no one saw us work, and we were out of direct scrutiny. 

I had barely finished my roll and swallowed the last of the milk when we turned around the castle corner to see most of the staff in place, Kaerons gaze on me with a singular lifted eyebrow as I hurried to his side. “Cutting it a bit close there.” He drawled and I felt my cheeks redden. “I apologise.” I didn’t bother to make excuses or say it was never going to happen again, we both knew better and it only made him angry when I did it. He hmm-ed quietly as the royal carriage came through the gate. The staff all stood in place, Kaeron and I to the far left three rows back, we were important but not more so than the staff who worked inside the castle directly with the family, we were in our yellow uniforms, next to the stablemaster in his emerald shirt with silver buttons who glanced down at me and winked. I liked Terrence, he was a jovial middle aged man who had his stable boys firmly trained to not only keep off the servant girls, but look after them as well and for that he had the respect of many younger staff members. And the ire of some. 

The king stepped forward, his elderly form almost completely swallowed by his fur cape and blue velvet ensemble. “May we welcome home today His Royal Highness Prince Reuthliand Calzier Ferwind the second, Duke of Camfriler and my son!” His voice boomed over the courtyard as the prince stepped out with a lazy smile on his face, he strode up to shake the king's hand and then wrap him in a short hug. The staff applauded, the prince was home. No more brief week long vacations over holidays and only properly being around during summer, no more talk of his documented escapades from the city and accomplishments as a student of the Arcane. The prince was home, and he was home to stay. As the thought settled in my mind and my forced smile was becoming uncomfortable to hold, the prince turned to the staff radiant and open smile like a beam of light forcing the applaud to come to a crescendo as his green eyes swept over us, and met mine, for just a second as his smile became sharper and more focused.

Interrupted by his father who forcefully put his hand on his son's shoulder and laughed at something his heir said and turned to walk inside the castle, I exhaled hard and let my smile slip off. “Handsome devil isn’t he?” Terrence muttered towards me, having misinterpreted my heavy breath. I gave a nervous chuckle, “yes, quite the handsome devil indeed.” 

Lottie was lying on the grass behind me, glass of wine in her hand and eyes closed humming while I leaned over one of the ponds with a net cleaning up the fallen debris. The staff meeting after the welcome in the court yard had been quick and efficient, Lord Frer’s droning voice telling us the afternoon was to be ours to do with as we wished, several birds and legs of lambs had been gifted to the servants from the main kitchen as well as some barrels of ale and wine to celebrate the Prince’s graduation and an extra gold were to be added onto our wages this month. I cheered loudly and genuinely, especially for the lamb and the gold if not for the prince’s returning, but then I believe most of the cheering was for that reason.  
I sighed and leaned back, the food had settled with the wine making me drowsy and warm, but not as much as Lottie who had unbuttoned her shirt and was in her undershirt getting tan on her face and her arms. 

“I envy your ability to lounge in your undershirt without getting leered on.” I said as I reached for her wine, taking a greedy swallow, she laughed. “Oh, it’s nice, these bee stings aren’t tempting any stableboys that’s for sure.” She opened her eyes halfway and looked at me with a sudden smirk, “The stable girls however…” She trailed off and I laughed, wiping the sweat of my face with the apron. “And how is dear Adrenna?” I asked, Lottie’s on and off again paramour was a slightly older woman working under Terrence as one of his three assistants, she was built with muscles and was almost as tall as Lottie, but had a soft moon shaped face and rounded in all the places Lottie was angular, long curly honey coloured hair where Lottie’s was short and the colour of a fox. They suited each other, but Adrenna kept a distance thinking Lottie was too much of a flirt to be serious, and Lottie reacted with flirting to make Adrenna jealous, it was a push and pull. 

“She said she would meet me at sundown, we’re going dancing, and then…” her voice turned bashful and I focused my attention from the stolen glass of wine I had almost drained. “And then?” I asked and she got up on her elbow and with her other hand dug into the pockets of her trousers pulling out a small black velvet satchell and threw it my way. I put the wineglass down and excitedly opened the small bag. “Is this?” and my suspicions came through a small silver ring slid into my hand, it had a generous moonstone in the middle and two small emeralds on either side. 

“Oh Lottie!” I crawled onto my friend and hugged her, she laughed into my hair and snatched the ring back. “I don’t know, it felt right, we’ve done this dance for so long I want to show her… I almost had it saved up for winter solstice but then the whole thing with Terrence getting sick and the fight, and spring seemed to soon when we’d just gotten back.” She babbled and I smiled stupidly down at her, my heart bursting painfully in joy for my friend, they would make each other promises this summer so we’d seen them settle as Lottie was moving up in the kitchen ranks and I would be here. Alone in the garden. 

We finished the rest of Lottie’s wine together as the sun deepened into afternoon and when she left to bathe and get ready I still had half a pond left so I went to get a bottle of water, deep in my own thoughts as I wandered back out I hadn’t noticed someone was standing by the pond. My net in their hand. Before I could tell my feet to turn around he looked up, green eyes meeting my own grey ones and he smiled sharp and dangerous. The Prince was home.

I deserved to be here, surrounded by the smell of lilies and sweetgrass, I reminded myself. I had worked hard in the kitchen petitioning Kaeron since I was fifteen, doing chores in the garden after my own kitchen chores and falling asleep sore with dirt under my fingernails. I deserved to be here, Kaeron had told me himself many times and even the heir had congratulated me on my work on the gardens, smiling easy and open with almost the same green eyes that were boring into mine as I dropped my gaze. “Your highness.” I curtsied clumsily, the wine and sun had made my movements slow. 

I felt a beat of sweat trickle down my spine as I was forced to look up, his fingers firm under my chin. “The little mouse, yet again in my mother’s gardens.” His face unrecognisable from this morning’s welcome at the gate, now twisted into a sneer, his smile a mockery of charm. Sometimes I think I am the only one who sees him like this. I hate him, almost as much as he hates me and the knowledge of it almost makes it into my face but I keep still. Saying nothing, trembling with saying nothing and my hands are balled into fists at my side as I chant I deserve to be here, over and over in my mind. 

“Tell me little mouse, what were you doing here, surely you weren’t working?” He asked as he let go of my face and stepped back, looking down at my net with a mild smile. “That would be quite disrespectful, working when you should be celebrating your prince’s return.” his eyes found mine again, half lidded and cruel. “But then your face has such an inflamed blush I can only assume come from either too much wine or too much sun, or both, perhaps?” He twirled the stick, moisture dripping from the net. 

“No your highness, I was simply clearing some debris from the pond for my own please, but I was also drinking wine. In your honour of course.” I fought to keep my voice still but some bite trickled into the word honour and as I waved my hand to the empty wine glass in the grass I thought he must have caught it but then he laughed, loose and open and for a second I could understand why the girls poured over the clippings of his escapades in the city and how a rumour of a kiss had set them ablaze and half of them in tears. “Well of course, I assume your pleasures would include pond clearing and dirtying your apron on the ground.” He walked over to the glass and pulled a bottle out from his robe, he was still wearing his school uniform, black loose trousers and vest over a white shirt, now unbuttoned so that his chest was gleaming when he parted his robe, black chest hair curled out. I swallowed and eyes snapped to his hands that were pouring a generous glass and then held it out to me. “Take it little mouse.” I looked at him and found his gaze was sharp, but there was yet something more there, a bit of wine and sun in his face as well. I took the glass. “Your Highness is too kind.” I tried smiling but it came out a grimace, I was under no illusion that he did not know what he was doing to me. It was a game I think he enjoyed, making me curtsy and bend to his every whim, until he found a crack in my facade and tore me down with his words of derision. 

“I am, rather. But today is a day of celebration, home in the nest again, won’t you raise your glass to it? Come now, toast your prince.” He lifted his bottle expectantly and I froze, both hands around the glass and then slowly I lifted it with my right hand. “To his highness Prince Calzier, beloved son of the kingdom, may his homecoming mark the beginning of greatness.” I spoke, channeling the bravado of Terrence who had uttered the toast at the dinner earlier and for a second the green eyes widened in surprise as I drank deep from my glass. This wine was a world apart from what we had been served, deep and rich with a slight spice to it. And the prince laughed, his head falling backwards. “Oh little mouse, that was beautiful, it almost looked like you meant it. Enjoy the wine, you will never have finer in your life, and I will be seeing you, skittering around in the moonlight, will I not?” He did not wait for a response, but left me frozen as he turned and threw the net into the pond making sure it was too far for me to reach easily, gave a smirk over his shoulder and sauntered up the path and out of sight. My legs collapsed underneath me as I cradled the glass of wine, the only thought going through my head as I took another drink was that he had known I was there, last night, and then as I was fastening my skirt up around my waist to wade into the water after the net: Why had the prince been at the garden last night only to leave and come back this morning?


End file.
